Network Structure of the Links between Extracurricular Time-Use and Delinquent Behaviors: Moving Forward and Beyond Linear Relations

Using psychological network analysis, this study explored the heterogeneity of the network structure between extracurricular time-use and delinquency using a nationally representative longitudinal survey of at-school students in China (N = 10,279, 47.3% female, average age 13.6, 91.2% Han ethnicity). The results are threefold: First, time stimulation of activities occurs on weekdays, while time displacement and stimulation occur on weekends. Second, delinquent behaviors are positively correlated, forming a problem behavior syndrome. Smoking or drinking is the central delinquent behavior. Third, negative consequences of specific time-use behaviors are more likely to occur on weekends than on weekdays, and time-use behavior may function differently on weekdays versus weekends. Among them, going to coffeenets or game-centers serves as the bridge with the highest potential of triggering delinquency.